HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Friendly reminder to get your Thyroid levels checked, these infections can lower it

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/2/2016 2:18 AM (GMT 0)
Us "thyroidians" read about symptoms here that many times are thyroid related. These infections can lower thyroid levels and even create autoimmune hashimoto thyroid. The thyroid controls everything!

So if your thyroid is not as tough as it could be, you could be having thyroid symptoms:, heart palps, heart pulse inner ear thumping, anziety, insomnia, aches and pains, hair falling out, the list goes on.

You can only rule this out by getting not just tsh, but free t3 and free t4 tested. Mid to low, but in range is still LOW. Many Drs are not aware of this.

You can actually still drive your car with 15 lbs of air in the tires (need 30), but its not good. Same with thyroid, low is not good.
Posted 3/2/2016 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
My husband is hypothyroid (and has tested positive for lyme, but not treating yet)

Is it important now that he is on thyroid meds to check the antibodies? Or, just the TSH, FT3 and FT4?

Is it supposed to stay the same now that he's treating or should the antibodies number drop?
Posted 3/2/2016 4:10 AM (GMT 0)
If antibodies are present they will show with or without thyroid med (hormone). Replacement thyroid hormone (remember its not a medication), only provides more hormone, it does nothing to the antibodies. Conventional medicine has always stated once thyroid antibodies are present, its forever over the "limit" (not a range on this).

However, non-conventional medicine might recognize antibodies disappearing in cases of infection , food allergies ectthat were found and treated. This is very rare!

"Regular hypothyroid" with out antibodies is just a low thyroid condition, not an all body autoimmune condition like Hashimoto.
Posted 3/2/2016 4:20 AM (GMT 0)
So, if he has the TPO antibodies - that means he has Hashimotos?

So, if thyroid meds do nothing to stop the autoimmune condition...does the thyroid continue to be damaged by the autoimmunity?
Posted 3/2/2016 4:46 AM (GMT 0)
So, if he has the TPO antibodies - that means he has Hashimotos? - yes

So, if thyroid meds do nothing to stop the autoimmune condition...does the thyroid continue to be damaged by the autoimmunity?

-Yes, usually it slowly increases needing higher dose of thyroid med every 6 months or year, everyone's different. Some stay on the same med level longer between increases. NOTE actual antibody levels do not directly correlate to thyroid level. Some can have super high antibodies, but only slightly lowered thyroid hormones. Weird it is!
Posted 3/2/2016 4:53 AM (GMT 0)
So, if you have it in your thirties - then by the time you are seventy - you will be needing a very high dose, I'm thinking.

Wow...what the Dr.'s don't tell you...or don't know...

my husband is trialling 125 mcg of T4 (was on 112 mcg and I persuaded him to increase) - so now to get his FT3 and FT4 tested.
Good to know that the TPO testing doesn't need to be tested along with the FT3 and FT4.
Posted 3/2/2016 6:00 AM (GMT 0)
My dose has increased about 35-40% in twenty years.

Sounds like he never had thyroid antibodies tested yet?

When the time comes, there are two antibodies to check in a hypo condition: the TPO and also TgAb

The third one, TSI antibody (sometimes confused with TSH), is only tested with hyper Graves conditions.

Post Edited (astroman) : 3/1/2016 11:03:45 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/2/2016 6:10 AM (GMT 0)
Actually, he did have the TPO tested once - the first time that he had his TSH tested and was put on the T4.

Since then, we have had his T3 and T4 tested (with the TSH) a couple of times...but it's like pulling teeth to get those two done.

I think they were just over 100. I'll have to look for his lab work.
Posted 3/2/2016 6:13 AM (GMT 0)
My daughter has the antibodies, but her thyroid went back to normal after a high fever and so far it's holding. We lost our doctor who was keeping an eye on it, so I hope the next one will be knowledgeable on it.
Posted 3/2/2016 6:35 AM (GMT 0)
Garden Peace - So, does she still have the antibodies, but no longer has to take thyroid meds?
Posted 3/2/2016 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
Here again, I fall in with those that are unusual. I had full on Hashi's before treatment and have never showed antibodies after treatment. I see a doc that specializes in thyroid and adrenal issues now, and it's checked regularly because she said it's very unusual as well.
Posted 3/2/2016 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
Excellent advice to get levels checked by and expert.
I was in treatment for lyme & Babesia but still struggling until I read about getting hormones checked on here or from a lyme book. The first MD I went to was a mainstream one who told me nothing was wrong with my thyroid levels. (despite the obvious symptoms) Through word of mouth found a MD who does nothing but hormone work. What a difference the cortisol, and thryoid meds make. Plus female/male hormones too.

I told this MD he cannot retire until I am dead!

He believes women like me should stay on the female/male bio-identical compounded hormones forever. He has patients who are twins in their 80's he has been following. One on the hormones, the other not he did not go into specifics but just told me the one on the hormones has a much better quality of life.

So for me it helps and I am sticking with this regimen.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply